High performance building is within reach

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The future is now. Hundreds of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready buildings are on this site, and more are coming online every day.

Net Zero buildings are all-electric and produce or procure renewable energy to cover their operational emissions. Net Zero Ready buildings are electrified and efficient enough to run on renewable energy as soon as sources are available.

Net Zero and Net Zero Ready Projects by Year (GSF)
Year Net Zero Ready GSF Net Zero GSF Total GSF
1990 0 143,510 143,510
2003 19,200 0 19,200
2010 93,833 0 93,833
2011 60,000 0 60,000
2012 24,000 3,500 27,500
2013 924 0 924
2014 45,000 0 45,000
2015 285,017 0 285,017
2016 237,520 61,315 298,835
2017 15,400 0 15,400
2018 339,223 3,000 342,223
2019 26,805 282,000 308,805
2020 107,724 131,531 239,255
2021 533,377 70,000 603,377
2022 1,496,947 740,151 2,237,098
2023 3,657,103 324,660 3,981,763
2024 6,678,476 1,247,700 7,926,176
2025 9,988,133 1,284,966 11,273,099
2026 5,672,638 1,402,663 7,075,301
2027 3,790,501 1,363,494 5,153,995
2028 3,624,915 378,747 4,003,662
2029 0 1,125,404 1,125,404
2030 8,824,369 0 8,824,369
2031 3,287,000 0 3,287,000

This trend stretches across every industry.

From multifamily housing and K-12 schools to labs and healthcare, projects across a wide range of industries are achieving high-performance building standards, proof that achieving Net Zero is possible regardless of project type.

Net Zero Building Types
Building Types Number of Projects
Education K-12 58
Education: Higher Ed 18
Food Sales & Service 0
Healthcare 6
Laboratory / Tech / Science 39
Lodging 9
Manufacturing / Industrial 0
Mixed Use 37
Office 14
Public Assembly / Entertainment 8
Public Services 6
Residential: Affordable Multi Family 84
Residential: Multi-family 76
Retail 2
Senior Living 27
Warehouse / Storage 0
Total 384

Net zero buildings are being built at the same cost as conventional buildings.

Of the projects that reported cost data, many Net Zero and Net Zero Ready buildings have less than a 1% construction cost premium compared to conventional buildings. High-performing buildings also significantly reduce operating costs, which can offset any upfront premiums in a matter of years.

Projects by Construction Cost Range
Cost Range Number of projects
<-11% 2
-11% to -6.1% 0
-6% to -3.1% 4
-3% to -1.1% 0
-1% to 1% 59
1.1% to 3% 9
3.1% to 5% 2
5.1% to 8% 11
8.1% to 10% 1
10.1% to 12% 0
>12% 0
Not calculated 50
Total 138

Net Zero buildings employ a range of heating options to achieve electrification.

The majority of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready projects employ heat pumps to electrify their heating and cooling operations. There are many options available to design teams, made easy by low overall energy demand in ultra-efficient projects.

Projects by Heat Source
Heat Sources Number of Projects
Air-source Heat Pump 301
Exhaust-source Heat Pump 5
Ground-source Heat Pump 91
Water-source Heat Pump 0
Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) 11
Total 408

Electrification of domestic hot water is possible for large scale buildings across a variety of industries.

Many projects use electrified domestic hot water systems, deploying a range of strategies with proven performance across multifamily, education K-12, and lab projects, just to name a few.

Hot Water Heating Source by Project Type
Project Type Air-source heat pump Electric resistance instantaneous Electric resistance storage Ground-source heat pump Heat recovery heat pump District heating electric Unspecified Total
Education K-12 0 5 0 4 0 0 49 58
Education: Higher Ed 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 18
Food Sales & Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Healthcare 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 6
Laboratory / Tech / Science 2 0 7 1 0 0 27 37
Lodging 2 0 2 1 0 0 3 8
Manufacturing / Industrial 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mixed Use 13 0 1 1 0 1 21 37
Office 2 1 2 0 0 0 8 13
Public Assembly / Entertainment 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 8
Public Services 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6
Residential: Affordable Multi Family 35 0 4 0 0 0 39 78
Residential: Multi-family 12 3 4 2 0 0 50 71
Retail 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
Senior Living 15 0 1 0 0 0 8 24
Warehouse / Storage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 83 10 22 12 0 1 238 366

Projects are achieving Net Zero through on-site and off-site renewable energy procurement.

There are many procurement methods for renewable energy, which can greatly reduce operating costs and strain on the grid. This is happening across project types, powering buildings of all sizes.

On and Off-site Renewable Energy for Net Zero Buildings by Project Type
Project Type On-site Only Both Off-site Only Total
Education K-12 5.205 0.639 0.000 5.844
Education: Higher Ed 0.615 0.435 0.275 1.325
Food Sales & Service 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Healthcare 0.451 0.236 0.000 0.687
Laboratory / Tech / Science 3.003 0.460 1.749 5.211
Lodging 0.591 0.000 0.000 0.591
Manufacturing / Industrial 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Mixed Use 1.275 0.160 0.553 1.988
Office 0.280 0.016 0.441 0.737
Public Assembly / Entertainment 0.078 0.000 0.000 0.078
Public Services 0.097 0.000 0.000 0.097
Residential: Affordable Multi Family 5.776 0.100 0.120 5.995
Residential: Multi-family 0.959 0.582 0.396 1.938
Retail 0.022 0.000 0.000 0.022
Senior Living 0.488 0.098 0.000 0.586
Warehouse / Storage 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Total 18.840 2.726 3.534 25.100